P4 Winter – Colder than Ice, But Warm in the Heart
by defog2000
Summary: Before the ski trip that he promised his friends and his girlfriend Naoto, he fell sick and went to a mysterious place. See what he encounters in this original re-telling of mine! (Note: May link to FQOB and does not contain mention of the dungeon Marie is in like in the game, contains YuXNaoto Fluff) Pls read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Promises Made

A/N: Hello! Defog2000 here! I am back with another Yu X Naoto fanfic, this time it will have three chapters. I may be a bit rusty as it has been quite since I wrote one of these romantic fanfics… Anyways, if you guys have not seen my other stories, do click on my profile name to go to my profile to read my other Yu X Naoto fanfics I have written previously. Without further ado, scroll down and enjoy the story I have written today!

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Summary: Before Yu Narukami leaves his friends and his precious girlfriend, Naoto when spring comes, he has to spend two days that Yosuke had planned for them to have one last fun memory with Yu. What will happen to Yu during his Ski Trip in Inaba? Will he spend it with his friends or with Naoto? (Thanks starsandsnowflakes for helping me with the summary)

~P4 Winter – Colder than Ice, But Warm in the Heart~

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-Chapter 1- Winter Planning

_Snow… it is nothing but clusters of small, light but yet cold objects…_

_It alone is just an endless supply of useless cold object falling from the sky made from the heavens…_

_But when they land on the solid ground of Earth and piled on after another to form a thick layer of snow…_

_It can be used to create into new completely different objects with unique shape and form… _

_Just like a man creating a path of life from scratch using what god had given to him…._

~4th January 2012, Dojima's Residence~

Yu slowly got up from his futon in the evening as his stomach begins to growl hungrily. The sliverette sighed as he got up from the futon while rubbing his empty belly. _Damn… it is this late already…? I must have slept too long. _He thought as he groaned mentally for forgetting to remind himself to set alarm to wake up from his nap. The silver-haired teen turned his gaze towards the window as he admired the white, fluffy snow slowly falling from the night sky and gently landing onto the window panes of his room. A warm smile formed on his lips as he had lost count of the times he kept reminding himself how beautiful the falling snow looked without the fog._ I wonder… am I ever going to see something this again…? _He thought sadly. When Yu first set foot onto the land of Inaba, he never thought he would make any friends like last time or ever find love this unusual place at the country side. But as the days flew by and getting ever closer to his deadline of his departure, he found himself desperately trying to find any opportunity to spend time with his best friends and the love of his life, Naoto.

Just then, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. "Umm…Sensei? Is there anything to eat? I'm sooo beary hungryyy." The pleading voice belongs to Teddie. "Alright, alright… I'm coming to cook us dinner." The sliver protagonist chuckled as he almost forgot that Teddie was staying with him for the time being. _Oh right, that plan for the ski trip… _Realization struck him as he remembered Yosuke and the bear visited him early in the morning.

~Start of Flashback~~

It was quite early in the morning, Yu just got up and minding his business when he heard the sound of the doorbell. It seems he had someone visiting him today. Yu quickly dressed up before rushing down to the door to welcome the guests. When he slide open the door, he saw Teddie and Yosuke standing in the hallway wearing their Midwinter outfits. "Happy New Year to you, partner! Oh, I already said that." Yosuke said jokingly with a wide grin on his face. "I hope we get along this year. Ha ha, But I already said that!" Teddie laughed cheerfully. The sliverette smiled from ear to ear as he saw grinning faces of his best friends, he then stepped aside to allow them to walk into the house. "Well, it is nice to see you here. Co-" "Thank you for inviting me in!" He was suddenly cut off by Teddie as he quickly walked into the house, having no patience and being too excited to let Yu to finish his sentence, without having a clue that he already being very rude.

"Hey, you should wait until he actually allowed you to go in first! Damn that freaking bear….*sigh*" The brunette shook his head slowly as clearly no one had taught that bear basic manners when entering other people's houses. "It's okay, Yosuke. You can scold Teddie later." Yu chuckled as he watched Teddie cheerfully looking around the house as he sat his legs under the newly bought kotasu that Yu and Nanako bought recently.

The boys gathered around the table in the living room so Yosuke and Teddie could began their purpose of their visit. "Do you have plans during the winter break? If you don't have anything lined up, we can all go for a ski trip! I read that there are lots of mountains in the area, and it seems there are also a lot of little ski resorts lying here and there." Yosuke said. "Plus, it will be a cheap trip because it's local, and the snow quality is supposed to be great too!" He added enthusiastically. The sliverette closed his eyes in thought as he tries to see the fun he was going to have if he agrees. _Hmm, this sounds fun… *chuckle* since when was the last time I went skiing? _He thought. After a good few seconds of thinking, a wide smile appears on his face as he replied with a nod, "Yeah, that sound great! I'll love to ski with you guys." "All right! I knew you would say that!" The brunette cheered happily as he beginning to see that the dream about the ski trip is coming true. "The girls said they are all free too, so I am going to make serious plan for this. Yukiko is usually busy in this season, but she is free, I pretty sure everyone else can come. Oh man, this is so great!" Yu chuckled as he saw that his partner was seriously pumped up and seemed that he is going to explode with excitement anytime soon.

"Hmmm… Another overnight event…." The bear said dreamingly. "I'll ski tracks of love under the frigid sky! Hey, Yosuke, are we going to make another plan to do a surprise sneak-in?" Teddie asked curiously. "Um…. Teddie, I don't think we should that. What happened last time at the inn is already bad enough…" The sliverette said, trying to discourage the energetic bear from reattempting that scene. The thought of it brings back bad memories when they found out that it was their homeroom teacher and that fat girl that in the room, not the girls that they once expected. "It ain't over till it's over!" exclaimed Teddie. "That… doesn't make any sense." Yosuke sighed as he shook his head in disapproval. "I mean we are talking about _skiing_ here! Stop bringing that up, you stupid bear."

"Skiing?" A voice was heard near the staircase. The boys turned and saw Dojima and Nanako standing behind them. After Yosuke and Teddie greeted them, the brunette saw that they were carrying a backpack and a handbag that –judging by the looks of it- may have contain some clothing. One of his eye brows rose up in confusion as he asked, "Are you two going on a trip?" "Nah, we are heading to the hospital. Nanako was only allowed to leave the hospital for the New Year's. I need to take her back for a check just in case." The elder detective explained. "Seriously?! Damn… I shouldn't mention about stuff like skiing at a time like this… sorry." Yosuke apologized. It must have felt sad knowing that you will not be spending time to fun like Nanako after that incident last year. "Nah… it's okay. She is getting better every day and I'm sure she will have fun with you guys once they have done checking on her… and me." Dojima reassured. He then turned to face his nephew and told him that they will be back by the middle of the month and that he apologized that he would stay alone at the house for the time being.

Just as the father and daughter walled out of the door, Teddie turned towards his sensei and asked, "Is Sensei going to be alone again?" "Well… It is just for while this time, Teddie." Yu reassured. Normally, leaving alone would bring the mood down, considering the fact that Nanako almost died last year and Yu felt his whole world came crashing down on him as he wait, without knowing that she would recover or not. But with the help of Naoto and his friends, he managed to bring back his senses and kept his head high as he trusted her to recover and continuing to find the real culprit of the murders. But now, it is just him and the 'Investigation Team' trying to have fun after all they have done.

After a few of moment of silence, the bear suddenly shot up his head as if an idea had popped out in his head, but it is uncertain to the boys that what he is thinking is a genius or idiotic one. "I know! I can stay here with you until Nana-chan and Pops come back!" He exclaimed as if that is a brilliant plan. But to Yosuke, it is one of the most horrible ideas he had heard. "Dream on Teddie! You are absolutely not going to move in with him." The brunette shouted angrily. "He already has to do all the housework! I can't just let you move in with you causing trouble in here!" He then turned to his partner and said, "Trust me, Yu. You would _never want_ someone like him in _anyone's _home; he already caused some much trouble taking care of him. He has already annoyed the shit out of me just by talki-!" "Okay, Teddie. As long as you stay quiet, I can let you stay here." Yu chuckled softly as Teddie jumped up and cheered for joy when he got the 'okay'. His partner hung his mouth open in disbelief as Yu just agreed to idea without a second thought. "Dude… are you serious? You are going to just agree like that?" Yosuke asked.

"Yosuke… if you can endure such an energetic and loudmouth person like him in your house, I'm sure I can do the same too. Besides, it's nice to have him around… the house is usually quiet when I'm alone." said the sliverette reassured his best friend. Sure, Teddie can be annoying and an idiot at times… but those time is when he is just playing a fool to have fun or really just curious as he still has quite a lot of things that he don't know about the world. "Man… I don't know about this but you are an easy-going guy." Yosuke said as he stared at the sliverette in admiration and disbelief.

"Now that's decided…" Teddie muttered as he begins to stand up. "I'll go get my bear-longings and some snacks!" And off he went out of the house. "Well… good luck with him. If you bugs the hell out of you, sent him back and I'll give him a good quashing." Yosuke grinned as he too began to stand up to take his leave. "And don't forget about the ski trip! I'll send you an email once all the planning has been done." Yu nodded happily as he watched the brunette walking towards the exit of the house. _This is going to be interesting…_ he thought.

~End Flashback~

Now back to the present, the sliver protagonist is standing with his arms crossed at the kitchen with his apron on, humming in thought as he plan what to cook for dinner. At the same time, Teddie was looking high and low inside the fridge as he searched frantically for something to eat. Yu took a small peak at the contents of the fridge and saw an unidentified bunch of ingredients, artificial coloring and flavors and… some snacks. "Sensei, how about this?" he handed out a small can of tuna, a packet of pickles and somehow he managed to find a cup of leftover instant noodle. "Err… I don't think we are going to eat that…" the sliver haired teen said unnervingly as he stared at the contents of the leftover instant noodle. _You left this behind didn't you, uncle…? _he thought as he sighed heavily. "Oh… never mind, I'll go search again!" The blonde teen opened the fridge again and began his search, but this time Yu helped along with the search. "How about now, Sensei?" Once again he took another set of things from the kitchen fridge. This time, a bag of potato chips – must be a snack for Nanako to eat –, a bunch of vegetables and a packet of chili powder and bunch of others things. But two items caught the sharp sliver eyes of once leader of the 'investigation team', a glass container filled mayonnaise sauce and a plastic container of spaghetti. In one swift motion, he quickly grabbed the two containers along with leftover ham and whatever that can be put into the meal that he had planned in his head and started cooking.

After 30 minutes of boiling the spaghetti, steering it with the sauce and adding in finely sliced ham, dinner was served. The poor Teddie who had waiting all while finally got his tummy filled up as he wolfed down the carbonara spaghetti. "This is so good, *slurp* so good!" Yu just watched happily as he saw cooking skills still hadn't diminished since last year. _Thank god my parents found the time to teach me how to cook…. They must have known I would put this in good use while they are gone._ The sliverette thought as he slowly ate up his own meal. After finishing the food and doing some cleaning with Teddie, the sliver-haired teen decided to take a walk outside after being so full. He asked the bear to look after the house while he was gone before taking his coat and walking out of the house.

~9.30pm, Evening. Local Shopping District~

Though it was late at night, he still could see the small, fluffy white snow falling from the sky and onto the ground. Yu slowly walked down the streets of the local shopping district while listening to the quiet chirps of the crickets and breeze in the dark night under the bright sliver light of the moon. His silver eyes took in scenery the quiet, peaceful town Inaba that he reminded himself time and time again how lucky that he got himself here and events that transpired. Out of the sudden, a voice called to him, "Is that you, Senpai?" The sliverette turned around and saw that the voice belonged to the one who he always look forward to see every day, Naoto.

The sleuth was wearing her Mid-Winter outfit, wearing the signature light blue coat that she was seen wearing lately. A bright grin formed on her boyfriend's face as he asked, "Out going to buy the book again?" "Yeah, *sighed* but I guess I was too late… the store was already closed when I arrived." She sighed in disappointment. "W-Well… since you are here and I have nothing to do…" Naoto muttered as she slowly lifted her head to look at Yu and stared silently as she frantically tried to come up a topic to talk. "Are you going for the ski trip?" The sliverette asked out of the blue. "Hmm…? What ski trip?" At first the detective blinked in confusion, not knowing he was talking about, but after her boyfriend did a recap of what happened in the morning in his house, she hummed in thought before answering, "It sounds like fun… but I'm not sure if I can go…" Upon hearing that, the sliver haired teen looked at her with eyes wide open in high alert. "Why not…? Don't want to have fun together?" "No… it is not that." Naoto shook her head before turning away with a small blush of embarrassment on her face. "I-It is just that… I-I don't know how to ski…"

"Oh… Is that so…" Yu muttered sadly. A moment of silence hangs in the air as they found out that was a possibly that they could spend time together. _No… I would let that happen! _ "In that case…" He slowly began to speak up, catching the attention of his girlfriend. "…I'll teach you how to ski." The sleuth looked at him in surprise. "Huh? But… won't you rather with a person who knows how to ski?" "I'm not going to use the excuse of not knowing to ski to not to spend time with you, Naoto…" The sliverette said as he grasped her hand into his. "Especially… when I going to leave soon when spring arrives…" The bright smile on his face dropped, replaced with sorrow and regrets as the sorrowful reminder hunt him once again. "Senpai…" Her hands reached up to cupped his face in attempt to comfort him. "Don't remind yourself about it again… we still got plenty of time, right?" "I know… sorry." Yu apologized as he pressed his cheek into her palm slightly and he closed his eyes to feel the warmth emitting from it. That is one of the many reasons he loved about her, whenever he feels sad or lonely, she will be always be there for him. There to share his doubts and worries to her and never let him feel alone.

Naoto then lowered down her from his face to his waist to wrap both her arms around her boyfriend. "…Though I do appreciate your concern… I'm also looking forward to spend time with you whenever I can." Yu gladly returned the affectionate gesture by slightly tightening his arms around her. "Then that settles it then… I'll teach you how to ski… so we are ski together alone in the future…" The watches that signify their love for each other bleeped softly as they slowly enjoyed their company with each other. The couple remained in embrace for the next several minutes, enjoying the warmth that they shared despite the freezing breeze of the cold, chilling night.

But good things always come to end as they finally broke apart when one of their watches' alarms went off. "It's getting very late… I need to go back now." The detective said as she stared at the time of the watch. _Why does time have to fly so fast…? _She thought sadly. "I need to go back too… well then…" The sliverette gave another quick hug and planted a quick kiss to her forehead. "… Good night, Naoto…" In response was a bright blush on her face which Yu never seem to get hold off on how cute she looked. "…Good night, Yu…" They reluctantly began to walk apart from each other and headed to towards their apartment. But one thing for sure, they will definitely see each other again… even if it means that one of them was forced to leave.

~In the Dojima's Residence~

Yu opened the door and went into the house. He was expecting to see Teddie to be asleep by now, but he still saw him sitting with his legs under the Kotasu and watching TV. It was as if he wanted to wait for him to come back before he went to sleep. "Teddie, It is one minute before midnight… Why aren't you aslee-" Suddenly, he was interrupted as a flash of pain shot though his forehead. The sliverette groaned in pain as his hand hold his head and gritted his teeth, trying to ease the pain. But it was no use…

_Click Clock… Click Clock… Click Clock_

_CILCK!_

The moment the minute and the hour hand hover above the number '12' on the clock, Yu heard a familiar deep masculine voice deep within his mind…

_Thou art I…_

"ARGGH!" The sliver haired teen was now on his knees with both of his hands on his head, begging the pain to stop. It was as if a large bolt of electricity continuously striking his head and spreading across his entire body. "Sensei! What happened?!" Teddie quickly got up and rushed towards him with his face filled with worry and concern, not knowing what on earth was happening to his 'leader'.

_And I…_

The voice was heard once again. This is time it was faint as the sliverette's senses were beginning to fail him. His vision was blurring and his body was completely numb as Yu had lost control over his body. Then his eye lids began to feel heavy. No before long, his mind began to lose consciousness as darkness began to cover his vision.

_Am Thou…._

Those were the final word he heard before Yu fell to the ground with his consciousness slipping away from him. "Sensei? Sensei? SENSEEEEI!"

…..

…..

…..

~?~

It was like an eternity under the cover of the darkness, not being able to move and feeling pain all across his body. It was then he finally felt what seemed to be cold, solid ground before being able to move again. His eye lids took quite a lot of effort to open them and even more effort to move his fingers. The aching pain in his forehead was still there but it was less painful than before. After what seemed like several minutes of lying on the ground, Yu slowly got up from his position and looked around at his surroundings.

The sliverette found himself that he was in the middle of a city with many tall buildings surrounding him, all covered in a layer of pure white snow with addition of weird slivery vines crawling all over the wall. The ground beneath him was also covered with a layer of snow, but only thicker than the ones covering the buildings. White fluffy Snow was falling from the pure white sky with no sign of any clouds hovering in it. Yu shivered as he felt the harsh, cold breeze blowing against his back. _Where am I? _He thought as he looked around at the strange environment nervously.

"Hello?" He called out as loud as he could. But his voice was swallowed by the cold hallowing wind of the unusual place. "Is anyone here?! Guys?! Teddie?! Everyone?!" His shouting seemed useless as it sounded like a whisper against cotton blocked canals. Knowing this, his mind immediately was on high alert. The sliverette realized that he was truly alone. An empty feeling in his chest began to build up in every second he was in here. "Naoto…? Everyone…?" The frightened teen called out softly one last time and again it seemed shouting is not an option.

_Damn… What do I do now…? _He asked himself as he began to walk into the unknown. A shiver went down in spine as he strolled down the streets in the freezing, cold world he is in. Every step Yu makes drains a great amount of energy from him. At times he would stop and leaned against the wall of the building to take a rest. Suddenly, a blizzard began to arise. Strong, bitter cold winds howled as it blows against the struggling teen. The sliverette immediately tried to open the door of what seemed like a department store, hoping to get inside to get warm. But no matter how hard he budges the door, he can't seem to open it.

The sliverette even tried calling out his persona! But after trying to visualize Izanagi in his mind and summoning out the arcana to call him out, Yu was still alone in this unknown, snowy city. _…Why? What on earth am I even doing here?! _ The sliver haired teen lost his cool and groaned in frustration before punching a nearby wall. It was no use… No matter how much he threw his rage and frustration into the concrete walls of the building, he was stuck in this 'god knows where- hell of a place'.

Yu leaned on the wall, exhausted, hungry and thirsty. He had no strength left to even move his legs and arms. The undesirable urge to just give up and give into the frozen land that he stood on. It was then when his sliver eyes glanced down to see the sliver watch that his girlfriend gave him during Christmas Eve. Memories of the event began racing back into his tired mind.

_" …"Really?" Despite the slight surprise in her voice, Naoto seemed glad to hear that. "Although…From spring on, my watch will just say out of range." A pained, sad expression fall on her face as she said, reminding her about his upcoming departure in the spring. Yu reached over the table to put his hand on Naoto's, smiling affectionately at her and said, "It's okay, Naoto... However far apart we are, the distance doesn't matter. I'll still love you no matter what." His soft, gentle voice accompanied with his warm smile caused her sadness to fade away, replacing it with a smile of her own. She stood up and walked towards the other end of the table where Yu is sitting and sat down comfortably next to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "Senpai, before you leave in the spring… Will you promise me to spend time with me until then?" He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him before replying, "I guarantee you I will do that, Naoto. Don't worry about it."_

_~From 'A Christmas Gift from Fortune'_

"Naoto… I promised to spend time with her…" His spirts were then lifted up and determination surged inside him. Yu clenched his fist and began forcefully pushing himself off the wall. "I can't die here… I promised to be with her always!" The determined teen walked away from the wall and towards what hope he thinks it is the route back home. Seemingly out of nowhere, his sliver watched bleeped loudly. It reads: 5m. He quickly looked up and was shocked to see what was before him.

There was a sliver ball of glowing light, about the size of a basketball, floating in a distance. It seemed to be radiating heat as the snow around it began to melt. Yu cautiously approached the unusual object. Warm surged through his body as he felt great relive that he managed to escape the cold. A mysterious voice ringed in the back of his head.

…_Thou art I, and I am thou_

_Thou hast brought you here with a purpose_

_One that could change your view of the world…_

_And the ever bright or dark future that awaits you…_

_Thou shall guide you to your destination…_

The sliver ball of light began to float away down the street, moving away from him. It was if it is saying 'follow me if you want to live'. Our sliver protagonist had no choice but to obey it. He began following the floating object, leaving his tracks being covered by the blizzard behind him.

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-A/N: Yes, this is a scenario where Marie is not present in the ski trip in P4G. I thought of this idea when I was planning for chapter for 'Fate Questioning Our Bonds' and no one thought of it yet, so… why not make it?!

By the way, I'm really sorry for the lack of updates lately. Mainly because of school- My Final year Examination is coming in late September, which is a few weeks from now… so yea… the stress, Video games- SERIOUSLY, I mean they freaking distract me too much from this. And Mood to write – I always need to have motivation to write stories like receiving reviews and someone PM me that I need to update cause I'm awesome (Not entire true though…)

But I promise! I WILL START MAKING CHAPTER 6 OF FQOB before I temporary stop for the moment. It is going to introduce my first three battle scenes of the story. Trust me it is going to be very interesting.

And to end this note… Do review ALL my currently written stories and tell me whether if you want to see this continue. So Then, see you next time!


	2. Chapter 2: In a world I do not belong

A/N: Sorry for the very long wait! My computer broke down for a very long time and I lose all my save data. T.T So I have to rewrite on a new computer from scratch. Plus it is the New Year for me, so school is starting and I have become busy again. I will try to write back all the ideas and plans that came up to me during the time my computer broke. Hope u enjoy this!

Anyways, have a great year!

~Chapter 2： In a world I do not belong…~

'_Death… is such a terrible experience. But our lives will end sooner or later, and our graves will be prepared for lifeless bodies to be buried. Even so, there is no need to be afraid…. Someone who is important to you in your life will be there by your side once the deed is done' _

~Izanagi's POV, '?Unknown place?'~

I was suddenly jolted awake from my recent slumber within the depths of my partner's heart. It is not usual for such things to happen. Yu Narukami will usually call my name before summoning me from my deep sleep. This is not normal… not even close.

I scanned my surroundings as I slowly stood up. Everything was covered by sliver – white fog that clouds my vision around me. The only things that I could see was my obviously black jacket when I looked down and my black and white spear. It was until I saw a dark figure at the corner of my eye.

It was humanoid shaped figure that was awfully similar built to mine. It had a bandanna around his head with long tendrils and it also the same body build as me. It was almost I saw Magastu-Izanagi again… but I had defeated him long ago. So, how is he still here? I immediately approached the figure and shouted at it, "Who goes there?"

It was then I heard a chanting as soft as a whisper.

_Thou art I, Art I thou…_

_Thou hast brought you here to this place…_

_The place where you had your greatest moments, laughs, smiles… and tears_

_This is the sea of memories…_

_Thy shall predict where your present self stands and where the path of your future shall go…_

The mysterious figure has disappeared, leaving me alone once again. The sliver-white fog begins to slowly disappear away from the area that they once were engulfing in. Bit by bit, colours of blue, red and yellow begin to appear in my view. In a blink of an eye, the colours replaced the dull white fog and I realized that the beautiful colours that filled my vision belonged to the many types of flowers in the area.

I scanned my surroundings again, dumbfounded by the sudden change in environment. Daisy, tulips, roses and many other flowers covered the infinitely large field around me. I was standing in the middle of a stone path, filled with inscriptions of love and happiness carved in the surface of the stone. In sky high above, there was a long wooden bridge decorated in bright colours of red, blue and green. The extreme end of each bridge was filled with clouds that act as a base.

_T-That… that is… __Ame-no-ukihashi. _I thought. There was the bridge my former wife, Izanami and I created to link Heaven and earth. I studied the ancient bridge that indicated our relationship with each other at that time. I already saw cracks and scratches to show its age from where I was standing. My memories of the time I spent with her were flooding back to me.

…_We are doing this together, right brother? _

…_Of course, Izanami. This shall show the bond we have found from each other._

I immediately turned away from it, because she is gone… she is longer together with me now. But as soon I looked in front of me, I saw the last thing that made remind the time we spend together. In the vast distance, there was a pillar of light. The light was so strong that I could miles from where I was standing.

That was when the strength of my legs began to wear off. My knees suddenly bend over and my upper half of my body fell towards to the ground. The spear in left hand, the one that was always by my side barely catches my fall as its sharp end dug deep into the ground. My right hand could barely hold up my weight, my head was staring into the ground that has the kanji '悲しい' on it.

…_We are going to be together from now on, right? Not as brother and sister, but as lovers. _

…_Yes, you are correct. I shall stay beside you for all eternity as your husband, not as a brother anymore._

…_I love you, Izanagi. _

…_and I love you too, Izanami._

For a moment, I was shocked to get into a position like this. But after clearing my head and thinking for a second, I realised something. That pillar…. was the symbol of our love for each other. The symbol that made us promise we should never ever leave each other, to comfort each other when we are down… and to promise we would be together for eternity.

It was then I cried. I cried because I failed to fulfil that promise. I cried because I was not there to solve and comfort her at the darkest moment. I cried because I could never see her again.

_All because of him… I hate him… I hate him… I hate him from the deepest part of my heart!_

_That child… that wricked stupid evil child! HE KILLED HER…! HE IS THE CAUSE OF ALL OF THIS! HE KILLED HER…! _

…_He killed her… _

_He… he… but I…_

…_I killed her…_

…_I killed her too…_

…_I…I killed her too…_

…_It's all my fault… It's… also my all fault…_

The brief anger that raged inside me subsided, replacing it with utter sadness. It was also my fault she turned into that monster… and I can never do anything about it. Even as time rewinds once again…

_My mistakes will just repeat again…. Due to the fact that my fate will never change…_

The fog begins to surround me once again… as my consciousness begins to fade away.

~Dojima's Residence, 7.00pm. ~

It has been a few days since the Yu Narukami fell sick to unknown sickness all of the sudden. He was having high fever and constantly groaning in pain as he lay down on a simple mattress with half his body under the futon. Even though the futon is not used to warm him up like that, Teddie - being the stupid bear he is - thinks it is great idea to put him under it anyways.

The IT team did not want to trouble their leader by moving him to another place, so they had no choice but to keep him under the futon, despite how stupid it is.

Three members of the IT team, Yosuke, Naoto and Kanji went to visit Yu after school. They stared helplessly at the poor sliver haired teen as he groaned in pain for every few minutes. "*sigh*Damn….I hate being helpless like this. What exactly happened that made him end up like this anyways?" Kanji asked Teddie as he sighed heavily.

Teddie sat beside the ill teen and replied, "I don't know… it has been nagging at me for some time now. Maybe sensei is bear-y tired?"

"Well… one thing is for sure. We have to postpone the ski trip until he recovers. It is no fun to go on without him." Yosuke said.

"I'm pretty sure he will recover soon. The medicine that I bought from the pharmacy should be able to combat his fever and such. Probably…" Naoto muttered. Even though she bought the correct type of medicine to help bring down Yu's fever, she could not but to worry about him. That… being as his girlfriend as such... the first thing you heard in the morning was your loved one being sick, who would not be worry for him?

Out of the sudden, the blonde bear patted his chest and exclaimed, "Don't worry everyone! I will take care of him! In fact, I sleep right beside him every night."

"Fat load of help that is…" Kanji said as he frowned.

That… is a disturbing thought. Think about it for a sec, when you sick. Who would you rather have beside you? A humanoid creature that came out of an empty mascot or your girlfriend who you love dearly?

Think about it… (Anyways back to main point…)

They spent the next hour quietly talking about the delayed ski trip and who would bring the schoolwork to him as they helpless stared at the sick teen laying painfully under the kotatsu. "On a second thought, isn't lying under the kotatsu when you are sick bad for you?" Yukiko asked.

"Hmm..? Lying under a kotatsu is best when you are having a cold, isn't it?" Teddie replied as he stared at her questioningly. "…It is _the_ cold, not_ a _cold." Naoto sighed as she replied. Teddie, being as clueless as a lost puppy, cocked his head to the side as he could not see the obvious difference between the two.

It was getting late at night. The Investigation team decided it was time to leave him to recover from his unknown illness, all except Naoto. As the others waved goodbye and leave, the detective sat numbly beside him as somewhere at the back of her mind, she refused to leave Yu's side. Her anxiety side of Naoto being to kick in as her mind ran wild on the possible factors that made her boyfriend sick.

…_I-Is it a rare disease? W-Was it something that he ate…?_

_Or…?_

…

The logical side of her began to point out how ridiculous she was sounding. She slowly took deep breaths in orderly to calm herself down.

It was then Teddie began to speak up. "Um… Nao-chan? Are you still worried about sensei?" the bear asked. She slowly looked up and gave a small nod, "It would seem that I am… very worried." The detective let a sad sigh as she continued, "I'm sorry, Teddie. I know I am intruding even though I know you are currently are taking care of him… but…" Naoto paused as the promise she made with the sliver haired teen play back in her mind.

'_I will teach you how to ski… so we could ski together alone in the future…'_

Refusing to see her sad and the fact he is currently very hungry right now, he stood up and said, "Welllll, I got to go Junes to buy some snacks… take care of him until I come back!" The bear gave her a quick wink before grabbing the keys and walking out of the apartment. At first, the sleuth did not know why he winked at her. But after a few seconds of thinking thoroughly, she blushed and pull her hat down to cover her face even though no one was in the house.

_I am alone…in his house… with Senpai... _ She thought. She blushed even brighter at the thought of it. After a while of forcefully calming herself down, she turned to face her boyfriend's face, who is silently groaning in pain. She could hear him whispering out her name, calling out for her for help. Naoto reached out to grab his hand, which tightened in response. "It is strange… I normally won't do this but…" she muttered.

The sleuth cautiously looked around and watched the time on the clock. Naoto then carefully slipped into his futon and rested her head on his chest. As soon as she did that, his face slowly relaxed as signs of pain and suffering melted away. It was as if he knows she was there, right there by his side.

_He needs me here now… and I want to help him…_

Naoto took her cap and then wrapped her arms around his waist, before closing her eyes to rest. The watch that she made for the both of them softly beeped. The couple slept together side by side, as they both know that their love will overcome any obstacles. Even if it is just a simple illness, she wants to be there for him.

…Because he desperately needs that right now.

Distance reads: 1m

~Yu's POV, ?Uknown Place?~

I held on tight onto what seemed is the only source of heat and hope to me in order for me to get out this mysterious place; the watch that _she_ made me. Whereas the only source of light guiding me was the white sliver ball of light hovering in front of me. It created a hidden protective barrier around me and the object, keeping me away from the usual, cold and harsh storm outside.

I watched the empty, ominous buildings and streets that I passed by. I searched for any streets or road signs of what this unknown place is and questioning myself how I even got into this position in the first place. It was at this time that my watch that I wore beeped softly, interrupting my thoughts and switched my focus to the task at hand; follow that mysterious orb.

Seconds passed…

Then minutes passed…

Finally, hours passed….

After what seemed hours and hours upon walking, the sliver ball of light stopped in front of an entrance of a huge ancient shrine. That was a wooden label at the top of the shrine's entrance. It reads "The Shrine of Memories". The snow storm around me begins to die down quickly as the ball of light fades away. I muttered a soft thanks to the object which guided and kept me safe.

After the storm died, I stood rooted in the ground completely speechless. The buildings and streets around me became visible instantly. I immediately recognized where I am standing… I am standing the place where I used to live with my parents… I am in a snowy version of the city Tokyo.

_How…? How did I get here…? Why does this place look like my hometown? _

I stood there looking around me, searching for all the usual places that I used to hang out alone or rarely with my parents. To my surprise, there were all there right in front of me. I slowly walked back and leaned my back against the frame of the shrine.

_Why is this happening…?_

It was then a feminine voice replied. "_They _sent you here, didn't _they_?" It was familiar voice. I turned around to found that the voice belonged to Marie, except she looked different than I last saw her. She was wearing a plain white robe with a hood over her head and covering part of her face, and… she looked taller than before.

"Marie? Why are you here? Who is the 'they' you are talking about?" I asked. She sighed and before saying, "You people seriously ask too many questions. I hate you for that." She took a step forward towards me and pulled back some of the hood back. "Take a look for yourself." The person I am looking now is not Marie anymore… she looked like… a completely different person.

She has a long silky black hair that ran down her back and her eyes were golden-yellow. She was a full grown adult with a completely different look than the Marie I knew. "I remembered… I finally remembered who I really am. After all this time, I found out that I am not like you guys at all. I am not human. I am a god…"

I stood there dumfounded, for the friend I once spend time with suddenly became a god. It was similar feeling finding out that Teddie is actually a shadow… but this was a hundred times more shocking than this.

She gave a small sad chuckle, "Somehow deep within my heart, I thought I would something else… something unlike a human… I guess I was right."

"M-Marie… I…" I did not what to say, this was unlike anything I experienced before. A dear friend of mine is a god…? Who would believe that…? 'Marie' then sighed sadly and looked away, "I… I came here to say thank you… for all you have done. The fun memories we have made; the attempt to help me recover my memories and being there for me when I was down…." I began to saw tear in the corner of her eyes.

"Thank you… especially you, for everything. I would not be here today without meeting you." 'Marie' gave me a soft and gentle smile, which quickly faded away as she turned her back away from me. "But… I must go. I do not belong in your world anymore, I have to serve the fate I was destined and made for…"

A white mist began to surround her as she began to fade away bit by bit. I tried to stop her as I reached out towards my friend. "Wait! Marie, I-!" I was interrupted as she looked over her shoulder and smile sadly at me.

"My name is not Marie anymore… My real name… is Izanami-No-Mikoto." After that sentence, she disappeared without a trace.

_Tell my husband… I still love him… with all my heart. _

I suddenly felt dizzy and drowsy at the same time. I tried to hold my forehead up as the pain increased in intensity. My legs began to feel weak as I stumble and then tripped to the ground. I fell with my hands a few centimetres away from the entrance of the shrine. My body felt numb again as my consciousness begins to fade away.

_Thou hast seen you been through a long and treacherous journey…_

_Thou shall put you to sleep to rest…._

_Thou will see you once your well-earned rest has ended…_

I blacked out… but I still heard small unrecognizable noises around me. It was then I heard a voice… a familiar but yet unfamiliar voice…

_Rest Well… My grandson… _

* * *

A/N: that is the end of this chapter. It was intended to be longer but that would go out of point and I can create more chapters for this one… I probably should change the summary. (Sorry, sweetknife55!) PLs do review and rate! Stay tuned for more and my comeback! Any errors do tell me and i will re edit it.


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